Turkey plant workers filmed playing baseball with live birds

Turkeys at a Bernard Matthews plant in Norfolk lived a life that was less than "bootiful", it emerged yesterday, as magistrates sentenced two farm workers to community service for playing a game of baseball with live birds.

Daniel Palmer, 27, and Neil Allen, 30, both of Dereham in Norfolk, were secretly filmed hitting turkeys with a pole at the shed in Haveringland while rounding them up to be delivered to other plants.

Both admitted ill-treatment and were ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service. Their lawyer told magistrates in Norwich that Palmer and Allen, who no longer work for Bernard Matthews, had been influenced by peer pressure and the "culture" at the plant.

RSPCA inspector Rob Melloy said it was the worst case of cruelty to farm animals he had seen. "They were clearly treated in a brutal, inhuman way," he said, adding that welfare standards in the poultry industry were a general concern.

Jonathan Eales, prosecuting, said Palmer and Allen had been filmed by an investigator from an animal sanctuary. "He heard Allen say, 'You throw them and I'll hit them'," said Mr Eales.

"They were using poles which they had been using to help them round up the turkeys, and they were using them like a baseball bat." He said at least three turkeys had been abused. Their carcasses had not been recovered.

A vet who had seen the footage said it was the "most hideous and blatant" abuse he had seen in 25 years, said Mr Eales.

Simon Nicholls, defending Palmer and Allen, said both men were of previous good character and full of remorse. "In this type of environment the one thing you cannot do is step outside what everyone else is doing," he said. "It was a culture these two became involved in."

Mr Nicholls said the footage, which was shown in court, revealed the appalling conditions at the plant. "You can see why people move to an organic, more open type of farming rather than this appalling type of environment," he said.

Wendy Valentine, the founder of a nearby animal sanctuary, said the public would be horrified if they could see the conditions at factory farms. "You cannot describe it," she said. "We don't tell people not to eat meat or to boycott Bernard Matthews. But they should think about the conditions these animals live in."

Bernard Matthews said later that the two men had been dismissed after the incident came to light. "We welcome the decision of the court today. The welfare of our birds is of paramount importance to us," said a spokesman.